Early Reading Matters

Submitted by sjsabuda on Tue, 06/27/2017 - 13:33

Active and engaged reading WITH your child, not just TO your child, can have a lasting effect on language, literacy, and early reading skills.

The abstract, "Early Reading Matters: Long-term Impacts of Shared Bookreading with Infants and Toddlers on Language and Literacy Outcomes," shows that reading books with a child beginning in early infancy can boost vocabulary and reading skills four years later, before the start of elementary school.

The quantity of books found in the home, how many were read with children, and the quality of the book-reading were considered important. Quality of book-reading was gauged by asking parents if they had conversations with their children about the story and characters.

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2017, May 4). Reading with children starting in infancy gives lasting literacy boost: Shared book-reading that begins soon after birth may translate into higher language and vocabulary skills before elementary school. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 25, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170504083146.htm